Beautiful Friendships, Love and Hardships
by BK05
Summary: Sakura and most of the motly crew during the 2 year time skip. Things have developed: friendships, memories, etc..Another mushy SakuXLee? More than likely! Other couples you know and love too. Rated M for language, violence, etc..Warnings posted.
1. Prologue

My **First **time ever writing a fanfic so I'm not sure how others will respond to it but…after reading so many good ones about this series I decided to give it a shot! Sorry ahead of time if the pairings represented in my story aren't your favorite…

* * *

"Ahh…" said the voice of one oh so familiar pink-haired medic-nin in training as she lowered herself into the bath. She sunk her entire body in to just barely below her nose and breathed in the steamy goodness of it all. "What a day or night?…" she thought as she closed her eyes to recap the past few days' events. 

(_Backtracking…) _A few days ago, Tsunade-sensei pulled her from her usual duties at the hospital, to take on a mission that required her skills as a medic n

in. "I wonder what kind of a mission it'll be…" thought Sakura to herself as she came to the outside of Tsunade's office. _'_

_Knock, knock...' _was heard at Tsunade's door which caused her to look up from the file she was studying.

'Come in!' came a slightly irritated response from Tsunade herself. Sakura peeked her head into the door,

"Ah, Sakura-san, do come in and have a seat" said Tsunade gesturing to a nearby chair. Sakura nodded and seated herself in one of the chairs. Tsunade locked her fingers and leaned her chin on top getting ready to speak when another, _'knock, knock...' _was heard.

"Hairimasu!" chimed Tsunade's voice again, hoping that the other two selected had arrived so that there'd be no more interruptions. As the door cracked open Sakura turned her head to reveal who the other two accompaniments would be.

The first person to walk in was the boy with the creamy milk colored eyes that showed attentiveness as well as some annoyance. His trademark scowl was as clear as day to anyone right now, with his right eyebrow twitching slightly. His long brown hair was tied loosely in the back, leaving only a few strands that hung loosely around his face. (_Lol, if it's all one piece, sorry!)_ The white shirt with the flowy sleeves he wore draped loosely around his upper torso, which was tucked into something that looked like a skirt. It was knee length and split up the middle revealing the white pants he wore underneath. He wore standard Konoha sandals, but they were black instead of royal blue. And of course, lastly, he was sporting the Konoha forehead protector.

"Neji-kun…" Sakura thought to herself, now very curious as to whom the other partner would be. If Neji was involved, it meant that it must be something big since he was the first one out of the Konoha 11 to become a Jonin so early and his skills were something to admire.

The next one that bounded in had a very cheery look on his face as if walking on cloud 9. He had these big, dark, round eyes that seemed to suck you into some kind of a void that you can never escape from. The little eyelashes he had are overlooked by his other features. His hair was black, short and bowl-shaped which only accented his eyes, not to mention that there wasn't a single strand out of place, no, no! The sheen it always had would make any girl jealous. His clothes were that of a green spandex-like suit that clung a good part to his body which showed off how lean he was accompanied with a hunter green vest. On his hands were bandage wraps that seemed to go up his arm almost to his elbow which was proof of training and hard work. On his lower calves he wore leg weights that were covered by orange legwarmers that stuck out like a sore-thumb. And lastly, he wore the same sandals as Neji. Oh and the thick eyebrows…how could I forget _the_ eyebrows?!

"What do you mean, Neji-kun?" Lee said in a youthful, loud voice. "You can not tell me that you are tired already only after 100 laps around Konoha this morning?

Neji's eyebrow twitch seemed to only get worse at this statement and it took all that he could do to keep himself from shutting down the chakra points to Lee's brain.

"Lee-kun…" said Sakura to herself as she watched both boys' enter the room. Lee noticed her right away and turned to her.

"Konnichi wa, Sakura-chan!" said Lee bowing to her and smiling.

"Konnichi wa, Lee-kun." said Sakura and gave him a smile back.

After Sasuke turned traitor against the village and Naruto left with Jiraiya to train, Sakura had somewhat opened up her social status a bit, allowing for some more friends. When she thought about it, those two, plus Kakashi-sensei were the only people she remembers hanging out with. Lately, she had become close with the members of Guy-sensei's team as well as with Ino again now that Sasuke was gone. She and Hinata had even hung out quite often as of late. Neji turned to her and bowed as well bringing Sakura out of her thoughts. She smiled and nodded her head in response.

Tsunade, all the while watching, finally coughed slightly to get their attention. All three snapped to it, facing her. She grinned slightly at this and opened her mouth to speak when another _'knock, knock...' _was heard.

"NANI?!" was Tsunade's reaction for the third time today to be interrupted in a row, which caused Sakura, Lee, and Neji to all wince slightly at the outburst.

* * *

…**aaand STOP! HaHa! Who's knocking at her door and making her mad? Find out next time!**

**Japanese words**

**Hairimasu- Enter, Come in, Go in**

**Konnichi wa- Hello (good afternoon) **

**Kunoichi- Medic ninja**

**Nani- What?**

**Sensei- teacher**

**Prologue**


	2. The Mission Revealed

**Lol, I know the chapter before was kind of short but it was only the beginning! It was stupid of me to start this when college started but oh well! When inspiration hits you, you better take what you can get before it all disappears. I'm writing this out of my own enjoyment and I hope you find joy/laughs/entertainment/inspiration out of reading it. --**

_**

* * *

**__**Stopping point last time-**_

Tsunade, all the while watching, finally coughed slightly to get their attention. All three snapped to it, facing her. She grinned slightly at this and opened her mouth to speak when another _'knock, knock...' _was heard. "NANI?!" was Tsunade's reaction for the third time today to be interrupted in a row, which caused Sakura, Lee, and Neji to all wince slightly at the outburst.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Now, on with the show!**_

The door had opened up to reveal Izumo Kamizuki with a sweat dropped look on his face. "I, uh…sorry hokage-sama." he replied with a stutter as he walked in the door and took a bow.

"State your business, Izumo-san" said Tsunade with a bored look on her face.

"Checking in and delivering to you last night's reports from the entrance gate, ma'am." he said as he walked over and layed the folder on her desk. Tsunade sighed and tossed the folder on top of all the other folders on her desk.

"And yet another boring file to look over…" she said to herself, "…will they ever end?!" She could feel herself going into deeper thought when yet another noise was heard at her office door, except, this time seemed more urgent. Izumo walked over to the door and opened it to reveal someone hidden by a stack of books. They seemed to have a hard time carrying the tall stack, wobbling side to side to keep them balanced.

"Shizune- ", Tsunade started, "I was beginning to think that you had gotten lost on your way back."

"Well, Tsunade-sama," started Shizune "this did seem rather easier at first but-", her wobble to one side finally got the best of her and she soon found herself, as well as her books, falling to the ground in slow motion. Lee and Neji nodded to one another then took action. Neji quickly caught Shizune and helped her to a standing position while Lee, with his lightning fast speed, was able to collect every single book before they crashed to the floor. The others just stood in awe of their teamwork, knowing about their bitter rivalry in the past.

"Where would you like them, Shizune-san?" asked Lee with a smile. "Over there in the corner if you please, Lee-san" said Shizune as she straightened herself out and bowed to the two. "Arigato"

Both nodded in response as Shizune took her place next to Tsunade as she prepared herself for the speech ahead. "Well, Hokaga-sama, if you're not in need of my services, I'll take my leave" said Izumo with a bow. "You're dismissed." said Tsunade with a nod of her head. As Izumo exited the office he took one more glance at the team and smiled. "They've all come a long way…" he said to himself as he shut the door.

A few minutes had passed when Tsunade finally thought it safe to continue with giving out the missions' instructions. She picked up the file and pulled out a paper with the clients' information and held it up for the team to see. "Your mission is going to be an escort service," started Tsunade as she saw the three exchange glances with one another as she continued, " I know you three must think that this is some easy B-class mission, as well as it should be if it weren't for the clients' wishes to travel under the concealment of night time." All eyes were attentively on her as she sustained her information to them.

"The one you're escorting is Nana Shuzino of the Wave country and her band of merchants", stated Tsunade, "She is said to be an important aspect of her town for what she does and lately they had been taken advantage of by other ships, stealing their cargo." Lee raised a fist and spoke with a certain fire in his eye, "How terrible it is that one's hard work is taken advantage of!" Sakura turned and looked at him getting worked up and just had to smile. He was always such a valiant guy. "Hai…" Tsunade said with a nod "…and we must make sure her cargo this time gets delivered not only in one piece, but also in a limited amount of time"

This raised questions amongst the three about what the 'special cargo' was. "Maybe its medicine of some kind…" said Sakura looking at the other two in wonderment. "Or maybe it's equipment…" said Lee looking at Neji who was knitting his brows. "It couldn't be either of those from the Wave country…" said Neji trying to wrap his brain around it. "The special cargo that you will be helping her transport is…" Tsunade trailed off keeping them in suspense. All three leaned forward a bit nervous with Sakura at the end of her seat, Lee gulping slightly, and Neji keeping his cool but scrunching his eyebrows in attention.

"**Fish**" Tsunade said simply. Sakura and Lee's eyes turned white and comical with their mouths hanging open while Neji simply put a hand to his forehead and looked down in disgust. "Of course…" Neji said to himself, "...it was staring me right in the face!" Sakura pictured the dead fish with their mouths gaping, as well as their cold slimy eyes being wide open and lifeless. The one final thing that sickened her would be the smell! She shuttered and shook her head at the thought. Lee just sat there in his chair and wondered whether or not this would be a real challenge but nevertheless, Lee was just real happy that he was going on a mission with Neji-kun and especially, Sakura-chan. It had been a while.

"The fishing season in the Country of the Wave is coming to an end so this last shipment is most crucial." said Tsunade drawing everyone's attention again, "You're to go along and make sure their boat isn't taken over by sea dogs as well as maintain that special cargo…" Leaning forward on her hands, looking at the group, she had a small sense of darkness about her. "…since payment all depends on the goods getting to their destination in one piece."

Sakura gulped at this since it was apparent that if the cargo got ruined somehow, they wouldn't get paid, and if they didn't get paid, then they would surely pay, by Tsunade-sama and that wouldn't be a pretty site. "You'll be setting out that night, the day after tomorrow, and pack lightly" said Tsunade. "Since you'll be traveling by a boat loaded with fish, too much extra weight will cause trouble." She handed Neji the paper explaining the mission. "Now that you have the details of this mission, you're dismissed and good luck"

"Hai!" pronounced all three in unison as they stood up to exit.

"Sakura-chan," said Tsunade softly "could you stay behind a moment?"

"Wow, I'm not sure if I can contain my excitement for this mission." said Lee following behind Neji. "Please, do try." said Neji full-well knowing that Lee would burst and suggest that they celebrate by doing some kind of exercise. Sakura being the last one to leave looked over her shoulder and turned back around into the room, shutting the door quickly. Startled somewhat, both boys looked at the closed door and then at each other.

"Hai, Tsunade-sensei?" said Sakura as she walked over to her desk. "How've you been feeling Sakura-chan?" asked Tsunade. Sakura was kind of taken back by that question, even after hearing it so many times. "I'm fine Tsunade-sensei" said Sakura with a bit of a wistful look, studying her present teacher. "I've been…great actually" she said with a smile. Tsunade gave her a concerned look that always appeared when she wasn't convinced at the answer. Sakura knew this look which ment that this conversation wasn't over. "Sakura-chan-" said Tsunade before being interrupted. "Tsunade-sensei, I know you're worried about me still and want to help, but I'm fine, honest!" sputtered Sakura.

Tsunade frowned at this but decided to let it go. She knew Sakura would eventually either forget her troubles all together or come to her to talk but she couldn't help trying anyways. "Are you sure you'll be okay on this mission?" Tsunade asked. "Hai, Tsunade-sensei" replied Sakura with a smile. "You, after all, placed me in a mission with two of the most reliable guys in all of Konoha!" Tsunade couldn't help but laugh at that statement. When placing Sakura in missions, Tsunade thought Neji and Lee were pretty much the equivalent of Sasuke and Naruto when it came to personalities. Although many things were obviously different between the four boys, Lee had the same spunk and hyperness as Naruto while Neji had the cool, calm headedness like Sasuke but lastly, the sense of a rivalry between them made the decision complete. When assigning missions, teams have to be divided into groups of three depending on the abilities at hand to effectively complete the mission assigned. Although, as of late, Tsunade had been putting these three together for a reason, a reason that she kept from Sakura and it was making progress.

"Well," started Tsunade "if there's anything you need to talk about, anything at all, you know where to find me." "Yeah," Shizune started "underneath your desk, snoring!" Sakura and Shizune couldn't help but burst out laughing at this and even Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle at how true it was. She sometimes simply hated work! Tsunade suddenly stopped laughing and put a finger to her lips to silence the other two women. With both silenced she made a lightning quick movement to the door. With one quick movement of her hand she slung open the door which dropped not only one but two bodies. _**'**__Thud!__**'**_ went Lee and Neji to the ground, both with slight blush marks on their faces from being caught so easily.

"Lee-kun & Neji-kun!" shouted Sakura in surprise.

Shizune couldn't help but laugh and Tsunade just shook her head with a grin. "That's something I'd expect from Naruto-kun but not you two!" Sakura said. Neji stood up and straightened himself out. "It was all Lee-kuns' idea," said Neji "curiosity and worry about you clouded his better judgment." Lee was blushing, embarrassed, and looked at Sakura with pleading eyes that seemed to say "Gomen Nasai Sakura-chan, from the bottom of my heart, please forgive me." But when he didn't get a response from her, he merely stood up, eyes still glued towards the floor.

"It is okay Lee-kun…" said Sakura as though reading his mind but Lee was beating himself up mentally and almost didn't catch what she had just said.

"Really Sakura-chan?" he said with puppy eyes.

She smiled while nodding and he couldn't help but feel his chest swell with relief and happiness. Tsunade smiled and waved a hand in dismissal "Now, if you three don't mind running along. I need to be getting back to my files"

"Hai!" was all three's response before they excited out the door.

When Neji closed the door behind them leaving only Tsunade and Shizune, they turned to each-other. "It seems to be working Shizune" said Tsunade with a sigh. Shizune nodded. "I'm sure this must be very hard on her but I'm surprised how well she took to being partnered with Lee-san and Neji-san." Tsunade sat back down in her chair and apathetically opened her files. "Only time will truly tell Shizune…" she thought to herself.

* * *

…_**aaand STOP! Now I need to apologize for this one being so long and wow, this one seemed harder to put into words than the first chapter, but none-the-less, another Chapter done! Stay tuned to find out what goes on next, maybe some actual action and I'd hate to disappoint any fans. ; XD;**_

**Japanese Words**

**Nani- What?**

**Gomen Nasai- Sorry**

**Hai- Yes**


	3. Will You Come?

**Will you come?**

Note: Naruto & Comp. are © Masashi Kishimoto

First off I'd like to thank the few people who had reviewed and also added my story to their watch list. Arigato!

Senshin Ultima

Witcher Co

Thank you both for your reviews and input. bows

Senshin Ultima

rebecca2200

Thank you both for adding my story to your alert page

-Stopping point last time-

. "It seems to be working Shizune" said Tsunade with a sigh. Shizune nodded. "I'm sure this must be very hard on her but I'm surprised how well she took to being partnered with Lee-san and Neji-san." Tsunade sat back down in her chair and apathetically opened her files. "Only time will truly tell Shizune…" she thought to herself.

-ONWARD!-

* * *

"Sakura-chan?" said Lee waving a hand in front of her face. "Are you okay?"

She had been eerily quite ever since they left Tsunade-sama's office.

"Huh?" She turned to face him without thinking and ran smack into his chest. He faltered a little and then put his hands on her shoulders, blushing. "I said, are you okay Sakura-chan?" with now more worry than before. "Oh, I'm fine Lee-kun, just worrying about what to do for the rest of the day." She said with a slight blush and a fake smile. Both Lee & Neji could see right through her but kept quiet. They knew not to press on the matter and that she would come to them when comfortable.

"Well, guys" she said suddenly pulling slowly from Lee's grip. "I best be off for now." She gave a quick wave and turned around, walking off quickly. "Sakura-chan, wait a min-!" Lee called out waving his hand but Neji put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He lowered his arm and sighed. He hated seeing her like this and when Sakura was hurt, Lee seemed to feel it x2.

Sakura trudged home quietly, her legs seeming to get heavier with each passing step. As she stopped at her front door a fresh tear was rolling down her cheek.

She wiped it away and fished out her key from her pocket. Her thoughts on how everything had been so perfect before still haunted her every now and again, but, being with Lee and Neji had minimized a lot of the pain. As she pushed open her door with what seemed to be all her might, she noticed a light blinking on her answering machine on the counter.

She stood and stared at the 3 missed messages for a moment before finally pushing the play button.

First missed message:

"Hey Billboard Brow," came Ino's giggling voice. Sakura had to growl slightly at this as the message continued. "Ten-Ten is throwing a slumber party tonight at her house, are you going? She invited the guys to stay for a good portion also, so maybe we can get in on Truth-or-Dare or even Spin-the-Bottle! It's going to be a blast! Gimme a shout soon girl!", 'click'.

Second Missed Message:

"Sakura hey, its Ten-Ten, has Ino told you yet about the slumber party being held at my house for tonight? If not, I'm asking you to please, please, pleeease come! It wouldn't be the same without you! You know what to bring and hopefully I'll see you later!", 'click'.

Third Missed Message:

"Uh-umm, Sakura-chan?" came Hinata's soft timid voice. "A-are you going to, um, Ten-Ten's tonight? I-um, would really like to s-see you there. P-please go, y-you're one of the, um, only people I f-feel comfortable around. I-I, well, talk to you later.", 'click'

Sakura couldn't help but smile. It seemed that Ten-ten had either made everyone call to convince her to go or they all acted on their own accord. "Hunh…" Sakura thought to herself. She immediately picked up the phone and dialed Ino's number.

"Hello?" said Ino's voice from the other line.

"Hey, Ino, It's Sakura"; she said with a sigh, "I'm calling you about tonight…"

* * *

Well, I started making this chapter wayyy to long so I was able to split it up into three sep. chapters! Sorry that this one is the shortest of the three but two I'm uploading now but the third will have to wait since it involves the party itself. :D


	4. Mysterious Comfort

**Mysterious Comfort**

Note: Naruto & Comp. are © Masashi Kishimoto

(Ish on a rollllleee!!!! -slapped-)

-Stopping Point last time-

"Hello?" said Ino's voice from the other line.

"Hey, Ino, It's Sakura"; she said with a sigh, "I'm calling you about tonight…"

-ONWARD!-

* * *

'Ding Dong!' went Ten-Ten's doorbell, which was barely heard over all the talking going on as well as the loud music. There were only a few guests who hadn't shown up yet, Sakura being one of them. She ran to the door crossing her fingers, hoping like hell that Sakura had decided to show up. She threw opened the door and there, unfortunately, was not Sakura.

"Ten-Ten-chan, you look like you've seen better days" remarked Neji, noticing the face she gave them when she opened the door.

"Huh?" she shook away her look and stepped aside so they could enter.

"Gomen Nasai Neji-kun" Ten-Ten said with a look of concern. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you two it's just..." she leaned in closer, her lips just barely touching his ear. "…Sakura hasn't showed up yet, and this gathering is mainly for her."

A shiver went up his spine as she spoke and try as he might to conceal it; there was a light pink tainting to his cheeks.

-Meanwhile-

"Shit!" cried Sakura when she noticed what time it was. "I can't believe I fell asleep for so long!" She was throwing her clothes everywhere trying to find her new outfit she always wore. She sank to her knees pondering where the outfit might be when it suddenly hit her.

"Ah! Baka, Sakura!" she cursed to herself. "Yesterday was laundry day so…"

She jumped up off her feet and ran to her little terrace, where there, on the clothes-line, billowing in the wind was her ensemble. "Ah, Seikoo!" she announced to herself as she snatched her clothes and hurriedly got dressed.

The outfit she had adorned herself in, was her favorite. She had on above the knee leggings, with a skirt that was split on four sides, two being in the front and two being on the side with the ones on the side having little buckles on them. She had a red zip-up shirt, sleeveless. Her accessories to match were elbow gloves, hand gloves, knee high boots, as well as the Konoha headband except, this one was red.

She looked more ready for battle but she didn't care. You can never be too safe.

After checking herself over once more in the mirror she grabbed her backpack and bolted out the door.

She ran down the steps and hauled-tail once she got to the street. "_Ah, they're going to kill me for being so late!"_ she thought to herself. As she passed the blurs on the street, Sakura was pretty deep in thought, even when rounding the corner when;

_BAM!_

"Ouch! ", she yelled, as the impact with whomever, caused her to recoil something fierce.

She closed her eyes and waited for the thud and pain on her backside that would soon occur from the fall but;

Nothing.

She seemed suspended as she was gently pulled back up and held by a strong force. The warmth and soft breathing of her savior was heard as they held her close, almost protectively. It was nice. "Sakura…" said the calm, soothing voice. "Hn...?", was all she mustered out as she rubbed her cheek against the comfort of one's chest, not wanting to lose what she was feeling. Her cheeks became rosy at this contentment.

She had to open her eyes though; she had to thank her rescuer.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked up to a surprise.

"Lee-kun…" she said as she looked at his face which showed not only worry but an extreme shade of red.

3…2…1…

"LEE!" , yelled Sakura when it dawned on her. It ended up startling him, causing his grip to slip as she jumped too her feet. The color of a cherry had nothing on her right now as she looked at him and rethought what she had just done!

"I…uh, Sakura-Chan, I didn't mean to…um…that is to say", he couldn't get the words out and he was cursing himself for it. _"Baka! Hurry up and apologize before she writes you off forever!_ ", he thought to himself.

She stood there and studied him for a moment. A little relieved but still quite embarrassed…even though…she had never felt like that, ever and it was Lee who brought this comfort to her.

_"Maybe…he's..."_ but her thoughts were interrupted with Lee taking her hand, his apology finally ready to be given.

"Oh, Lee-kun, its fine...I'm not mad at all" she said with a smile before he spoke.

"R-really?!" he spit out, not understanding this at all.

"Hai", responded Sakura who absentmindedly curled her fingers around his hand.

He closed his eyes and breathed in a moment taking it in, then smiled. His weight lifted.

"If you don't mind me asking Sakura-Chan, where were you going in such a hurry?" Lee asked curiously.

"Oh, just on my way to, to, CRAP!!" blurted Sakura as she just realized that she was even more late for the slumber party.

"Ino and Ten-Ten are going to kill me!!", "I hate to run and leave you Lee but I got to run!" she exclaimed as she made a dash, forgetting that she was holding Lee's hand. Her sudden strength from her determination was astounding as Lee got dragged along with her.

"S-sak-ura Ch-cha-an!" "I-I-I was o-on my-y way to go-o train!" Lee cried out in surprise. "Well Lee-kunn, I know, you were invite-ted, so-o you-u, are com-ing with mee." Sakura exclaimed between breathes.

Lee couldn't help but be bewildered by this. They've shared their awkward moments in the past but they seemed more frequent as of late. He was overjoyed at not being scolded by Sakura for holding her which lifted his hopes up a bit and now she was dragging 'him' to a party he wasn't even sure he wanted to go to. As this all sunk in, he smiled and straightened himself out running along side her at her pace, so as to not drag her down the street.

-Meanwhile-

"Where in the hell is Sakura?!" bellowed Ino as she stood by the window, looking out the drapes every 5 seconds. "She is over an hour late!"

"Calm down, Ino-chan" said Ten-Ten in a soft voice. "Yelling like that is not going to make her appear any faster"

Ino folds her arms and glares, "Humph, If Billboard brow isn't here in the next 10 seconds, I'm going to-", she proclaimed.

'Ding Dong!'

* * *

**-STOP- Stay tuned. Mreeeee. :D**

**Japanese Dictionary-**

**Baka- Stupid, idiot**

**Seikoo- success**


	5. Please Stay

**Please Stay**

Note: Naruto & Comp. are © Masashi Kishimoto

Senshin Ultima

rebecca2200

-Hugs you both-

-Stopping point last time-

Ino folds her arms and glares, "Humph, If Billboard brow isn't here in the next 10 seconds, I'm going to-", she proclaimed.

'Ding Dong!'

-ONWARD!-

* * *

"Ah! It must be her!!" squealed Ten-Ten as she rushed towards the door.

Ino almost broke her neck, reaching the door before Ten-Ten, throwing it open;

"It's about goddamn time you showed up Billboard brow!" yelled Ino.

With Sakura being out of breath she just waved the comment off and entered the house with Lee close behind. Ino shut the door and looked at the two. Once Sakura caught her breath she was getting somewhat strange looks from both girls.

"What, Ino pig?" said Sakura, puzzled.

Ino was making glances down to her hand which was still locked with Lee's. It took a moment for Sakura to get the hint and she quickly pulled her hand away from his, blushing. The two looked at Sakura and then at each-other. Ino pointed, "Um, Sakura, is there something going on between you and-"

"No!" Sakura shot out before Ino even had a chance to finish her question.

Hinata and Neji were both getting some punch and had been startled by the outburst, more-so Hinata than Neji, and now both were staring.

Lee winced and looked down kind of off to the side, his cheeks growing hot. He tried not to show it but the joy he had felt only a few minutes ago had shattered and disappeared within a matter of seconds.

"Okay, okay!" said Ino waving her hands at Sakura, sweat dropping. "Well, come on, don't just stand there. Mingle!" She grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her off to a different corner of the room leaving Lee and Ten-Ten at the door.

"Lee..." said Ten-Ten putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her, seeing the concern for him genuinely spread across her face.

"It is okay, Ten-Ten chan", Lee said shakily. "This is not the first time it has happened and it will probably not be the last."

With this, he removed her hand from his shoulder and walked towards the terrace. Opening the doors he looked back at her; "If anyone needs me, I'll be out here." he said before shutting the doors.

Ten-Ten stood there and thought for a moment, then sighed.

"What's going on, Ten-Ten?" asked Neji as him and Hinata walked over.

Ten-Ten looked and had them huddle together so she could clearly keep what happened just between the three of them.

"Oh..p-poor Lee-kun..." stuttered Hinata as she put a hand to her mouth.

Neji closed his eyes, thinking. Lee may be the biggest dork next to Naruto but that was still something he didn't deserve.

"I hope he'll be okay" , said Ten-Ten worriedly.

Neji looked at her. "Don't worry Ten-Ten chan" he said with a bit of confidence. "Lee's willingness to never give-up and work, as well as bouncing back after being dealt a harsh blow are the traits he possesses that keep him from being a failure."

She looked at him thoughtfully, "Yeah, but..one can only take so much, you know?

Neji thought about this but didn't say anything. What _could _he say?

Ten-Ten turned and looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves well enough.

Ino had dragged Sakura over to the couch to talk with Shikamaru over some punch.

Chouji was busy loading up his plate for the fourth time while Kiba and Shino had distanced themselves from everyone, alone in their own conversation.

Ino shut off the music and called for everyone's attention.

"Alright Boys and Girls! Now is the moment of truth, It's time for Truth-or-Dare!" Ino cheered. "Everyone get into a circle here on the rug!"

Shikamaru mumbled, "Tch, this game is always so troublesome…"

Ino shot him a look that startled him.

"Alright, alright…" he gave in, mumbling more this and that.

Ino clapped her hands together. "Okay! Is everyone accounted for?" She looked around the circle to see who was missing.

"What about Lee-kun?" said Ten-Ten with folded arms.

Sakura's ears perked at the sound of his name and remembered that she hadn't seen him since her little outburst. This tugged at her heart now but before she couldn't help it. She just, can't be falling for him, right? Lee, the Rock Lee, the boy with the most ridiculous outfit she'd ever seen in her life. She knew the suit served an important purpose but she couldn't help being a little…weirded out by it. But, still-

"I'll go find him", Sakura volunteered.

-Meanwhile Outside-

Lee was laying out on a bench looking at the stars, clueless to what was unfolding inside. He didn't care. He only wishes now that he had passed on showing up to Ten-Ten's, to now be toughening up his body, instead of his heart. He shuttered and a lone tear slid down his cheek and caught the moon's light before falling to the ground.

"_Is trying so hard futile..?"_ he thought to himself_. "I should be happy that Sakura and I are friends now, good friends and that we've been lucky enough to go on quite a few missions together, but alas, that does not seem like enough." _He sighs, and lays his arm over his eyes, trying to block the look Sakura had on her face when Ino asked that question; like a wounded animal.

Lee suddenly sat up and looked around. Why should he stick around when he could've easily hopped the fence to go and train? Yes, that's what he must do. He walks over to the fence and hesitates. With his fist clenched, his mind made up, gets a running start and is about to make the leap when he heard it- "Lee?", he stopped, almost running into the fence and looked towards where the voice came from.

Sakura walked over slowly to him. "Leaving so soon, Lee-kun?" she asked.

Lee looked at her and took a breath in and breathed it out quickly, mussing up his bangs.

He wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't just merely come out and say that his heart was hurting and now he wanted to go train till he went unconscious. He scratched his head, "Well, you see Sakura-chan, I just remembered that Gai-sensei needed my help with something" he lied.

She tilted her head, "Aw, really?", "What?" acting like she couldn't tell he was telling a story. Lee had always been a terrible liar.

"Ah, well to help him with his, um, youthfulness?" Lee sputtered out.

Sakura paused for a moment and then burst out laughing. "What kind of an excuse is that?!"

Lee blushed and shuffled his feet. He couldn't believe himself that he couldn't come up with something better than that.

"Lee-kun," Sakura choked in laughter. "Please don't leave."

"Dooshite, Sakura-chan?" Lee asked.

She took in a breath and reached for his hand. "Kara, Lee-kun." she said with a change in her voice. "I wish for you to stay."

He looked at her, not being able to make heads or tails of this. As he thought about it for a moment, he realized that he might've overreacted a tad before but he was still upset about not being able to train. Not to mention her little outburst.

"Hai, Sakura-chan" said Lee with a nod. "I'll stay, for you."

She smiled and pulled him to the house, "Great!" she exclaimed as she opened the door pulling him inside. Lee couldn't help but smile a little. _"She can be so cute.."_ he thought to himself, watching her as she pulled on his arm like a little kid.

She pushed him inside and closed the door, "We're just about to start playing Truth-or-Dare, Lee, so if you could go and-"

"Nan desu ka?!" Lee squeaked, interrupting Sakura's instructions. Did he just hear correctly? It couldn't be. This was the 'ONE' game he was nervous about playing, that and of course, the 'kissing' game. He blushed while freezing as a bunch of possibilities of what people would dare him to do swam through his mind. Even at their age, among them were still some pretty immature individuals.

"Come on, Lee-kun" she said as she put her hands against his back and pushed him towards the circle. _"Man, for being such a thin guy, you would think this would be a lot easier but he feels like dead weight!"_ she thought to herself.

"Alright, were all present and accounted for" , Sakura chirped.

"Took you long enough" Kiba said, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows. "Just what were you and Lee-kun doing outside that kept you two for so long, hm?

* * *

Lol! How will she react to that? How will the game progress? Will Lee's fear of the game get to him?

Find out next time. :D

Japanese Dictionary:

Dooshite- Why?

Hai- Yes

Kara- Because

Nan desu ka- What? (polite way)


	6. Truth or Dare

**Truth Or Dare**

Oi!

'dun dun dun' Another chapter bites the dust! -shot-

-Hugs for-

rebecca2200

AnimeGirl 144

And now a fresh chapter hot off the presses. XD

-Last Stopping point-

"Alright, were all present and accounted for" , Sakura chirped.

"Took you long enough" Kiba said, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows. "Just what were you and Lee-kun doing outside that kept you two for so long, hm?

ONWARD!

* * *

Sakura held down a blush and popped him hard over the head. "Ouch!", he yelped. "Sheesh Sakura-chan, I was only kidding!" he hissed as he now rubbed his new whelp. "Serves you right!" Sakura hissed back. "You should know Lee-kun and me better than that".

Lee blushed and although it served Kiba right for saying that, he secretly wished something had happened between him and Sakura.

"Alright!" Ino started, clapping her hands. "Who'll go first?"

"I will!" said Ten-Ten throwing up her arm. "I mean after all, this_ is _my house".

She looked around the room at all the targets deciding which one to hit first. Her eyes glided among each member till her eyes finally fell on her victim. "Kiba-kun" she remarked slyly, "Truth or Dare?"

"Humph." he snorted confidently. "Hit me with your best dare!" he said, challenging her question.

She raised an eyebrow, "I dare you…to run around the circle in your underwear screaming, "I'm a lost puppy, will someone take me home?"

There was a pause and then everyone burst out in a roar of laughter. Even Shino, who no one else could tell, was chuckling vaguely at this. Kiba only sat there with a blank look on his face and then stood up. "Alright, if that's what the ladies really want to see, so be it." He said coolly as a tinge of red crossed his face. He pulled his jacket off over his head slowly, slinging it to the floor.

"Ohhh, take it off baby!" giggled Ino as she turned on some stripping music.

This really got him going red as a rose. He wriggled his shirt off also tossing it to the floor only to be greeted by whistles and 'wolf' calls (_sorry for the pun, lol_)

As he fumbled purposely with his pants, the girls were all whistling and howling with laughter. Even Hinata couldn't help but watch, showing her impish side and blushing madly. The guys on the other hand were closing their eyes playing like they're going to be scarred for life if they watched. He kicked his pants off as the song came to a close as well as throwing down any dignity he had and ran around the circle.

"I'm a lost puppy, will someone take me home!?" he cried.

More roars of laughter could be heard, more so that a bunch had been brought to tears at the sight. Sakura and Ino high-fived Ten-Ten since this seemed to break the ice quite nicely. After his last lap around the circle, Kiba threw on his pants and sat down, blushing.

"Alright ladies, you think that was funny, now it's my turn!" Kiba proclaimed with a wolfish grin which caused the girls to stop laughing. He raised his eyebrow, "Hmm…" he said to himself as he examined each girl. He could get back at Sakura for hitting him over the head or Ten-Ten for embarrassing him like she did. As he looked over the girls again, it hit him. There's been something he wanted to see more than anything.

"Aha!" he said as he pointed.

"Ino!" he chirped, "Truth or Dare?"

Ino widened her eyes as she looked at him but kept her cool. "Ha, Truth!" she shot out.

Kiba snapped his fingers. "Alright then little Ino-san" he said tauntingly.

"Is it true, that you-", he pointed to Ino, "have a big crush on Shikamaru?!"

All got quiet as Ino's eyes widened. _How did he know_?! _Hardly anybody knew!_

Now Shikamaru, the guy who is hardly ever interested in _anything _but being lazy, took a slight interest in this. He hadn't felt any real come-on's from her. Maybe some flirting here and there but nothing to make him think she was _really_ interested. I mean after all, they were only team mates. Hardly did they ever hang out apart for when they were on missions or celebrating with Asuma-sensei.

"Heh, I've got ear's like a wolf, babe" he said mischievously as if reading her thoughts. "It wasn't hard overhearing you telling Hinata the other day"

There was no way around it. All eyes were glued to Ino as she stumbled over her thoughts. She couldn't reveal the truth now! She wasn't ready! A grin played across her face as she looked at Kiba.

"I change my mind Kiba" she said coolly. "I want to take a dare instead"

Kiba crossed his arms. "Alright, fine" he said disappointingly. "I dare you-"an evil smirk playing across his lips. " to kiss Chouji-kun!"

Chouji while he said this was unfortunately guzzling down his soda, now spitting it out all over him. Shikamaru had to pat Chouji on the back to help his friend keep from choking as he thought troublesome this, troublesome that, blah, blah.

Sakura had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling out loud. She felt bad for Chouji but what happened to Kiba, she didn't feel bad about. It was too funny.

Lee, who was sitting across from her, could only sit and watch this spectacle with a grin. He was relieved that he hadn't been picked yet but he knew that his chances were becoming thin. Right now he didn't let it bother him till it happened. He was having too much fun as much as he disliked laughing at others, since he had experienced being made fun of in the past. This was somehow different, right?

Neji was smirking, gladly thinking that he wasn't the unfortunate one.

Hinata had gotten up to get Kiba a towel to dry off with while Ten-Ten groaned about having to clean out the rug.

"AGH, what the hell Chouji?! Kiba yelled, now dripping wet with the stuff. "Why I ought a-"

"Ha, serves you right!" snapped Ino standing in front of Chouji. "You did it to yourself."

Kiba growled. "Tch, whatever. Do you accept this dare, or not?"

Ino thought for a moment. If she did kiss Chouji, then that would take all the heat on her liking Shikamaru off but then people would think she liked Chouji. On the other hand, maybe everyone would be a bit more mature than that and not tease her about something as petty as a dare. All eyes were on her on what she would do. She closed hers and breathed in deeply as she turned around. Opening them she looked down at Chouji, who to her looked wounded.

"Umm, you know you don't have to, Ino" he said somewhat sadly as he looked up at her. "I understand"

Ino put her hands on her hips. "It sounds like you're afraid of me, Chouji-kun." She teased. "Like I have cooties or something."

Chouji shook his head furiously. "No, no, no!" he said blushing. "It's not that I-"

Ino put a finger to his lips as she leaned in, puckering hers.

He gulped as her face slowly came closer to his. His heartbeat quickened and felt like he was going to have a heart attack. Her lips looked moist from the lip gloss she always wore and she smelled like vanilla. One of his favorite flavors! He gulped and closed his eyes, waiting as his mind whirled over one little peck he was going to receive.

"_She isn't doing this because she wants to"_ he scolded himself. _"I'm the last person she'd ever want to kiss willingly."_

But before he could think anymore, it happened. Ino's wet lips hit his more forcefully than he expected. They were warm and succulent with a taste he wouldn't mind trying again if permitted. He blushed at getting this chance and remembered what Shikamaru had told him before, about how he was the kindest guy he's ever known. He pulled back slowly so Ino wouldn't get the wrong idea even though they were only like that for a moment.

Ino's thoughts were also on how soft his lips were, even more so than her own. Her cheeks she could feel were on fire and this alone bowled her over. She was a bit surprised that she took the initiative. Even though it was a dare, she felt good. Not -zomg, I'm in love with you kind of thing-, but good. In fact, she felt Chouji moving away before she could finish and it pained her to think that even _he_ didn't think she was a good kisser.

"Um…Ino, I'm...sorry" Chouji whispered, his cheeks still stained. Ino looked at him, pulling him into a headlock and gave him a noogie.

"It's okay you big lug." she proclaimed. "It wasn't so bad, and there's nothing wrong with a kiss between friends."

"Ino, hey, you know I hate it when you do that!" Chouji chuckled slightly and wrestled her off.

Everyone had still been staring, surprised at what just happened. When did _loudmouth_ Ino and Chouji, become so mature? Not only did they go through with the deed but they were still in good spirits!

"Alright." Ino cheered. "Now it's my turn!"

"Hmm" she purred as her eyes ran along who hasn't been picked yet, tapping her chin.

Every time Ino's eyes passed over Lee, he couldn't help but cringe. Why oh why, did he have to be putty in Sakura's hands? He should've stayed firm on his decision. He is a man after all!

A man….in love.

Ino's eyes went another round before finally laying on her victim. "Neji-kun" grinned Ino, "Truth or Dare?"

Neji looked at her and knitted his eyebrows for a moment. "Truth" he said casually.

"Is there anyone in this room, you'd date?" Ino asked teasingly.

Neji's expression didn't change despite the embarrassing question. He blushed slightly but fully didn't fluster as easily as everyone else does.

"Truthfully, there is someone here I'd consider dating" he said, his eyes shifting to one individual.

Ino followed his gaze and giggled. "Omg! I would've guessed!"

Everyone murmured slightly at this as his eyes pierced the person he was staring at, showing what seemed to be more than consideration.

Ten-Ten, who had been paying more attention to her plate in front of her, looks up and catches Neji staring at her. He looks away and blushes slightly as he shifted in his seat.

"My turn." He said smoothly even though he could still feel Ten-Ten's eyes on him.

Lee was now a nervous wreck. He and Neji had been rivals for as long as he could remember. Sure they've become good friends. One could even say best friends. But, there are still sprouts of that rivalry that did pop up every now and again and if Neji was to pick on anyone, it'd be him.

Neji turned to Lee and he froze. His heart started thumping faster and his palms started to sweat.

"Lee-kun…" Neji said roughly, clearing his throat.

"_Here it comes..!"_ Lee thought to himself, gulping.

"Could you pass me my bottled water?" Neji forced out as he pointed to his throat.

Lee about wanted to pass out. "Uh, Hai, Neji-kun" he said as he tossed the bottle over.

He took a drink and sighed. "Alright, Sakura-chan…Truth or Dare?"

Sakura was startled out of her conversation with Ino about what's happened so far. Tonight seemed to be going pretty well. She looked at Neji and tilted her head, thinking. _"Hmm"_ she thought to herself.

Watching Ino and Kiba go through with their stunts made her adrenaline run a little which made her feel daring.

"Dare, Neji-kun" grinned Sakura. _"Cha! Bring it ON!"_ her inner self yelled.

Neji's face turned up a grin tauntingly and without hesitation. "I dare you, to French Kiss Lee-kun"

"Oooooooo" said everyone in harmony and laughed. That is, except for Lee and Sakura.

Lee's eyes had dilated as he shifted uncomfortably. His face was burning up and his heart was thumping against his rib cage. He wasn't sure he could go through with it, especially with everyone watching. _"Dammit" _he thought to himself. _"I should have jumped that fence!"_

Hinata, who was sitting by Lee sensed his uneasiness and with going on a whim, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and took a ragged breath, closing his eyes for a moment. He tightened his fist as he reached a decision.

Sakura walked over to Lee and bent over, putting a finger on his chin, pulling his face up to her own. She was as red as he was, driven by her ego to never lose to Ino again…_or that's what she thought was driving her to go through with this. _She studied his face a moment and then locked eyes. After a moment or to she then tilted her head and leaned in slowly, closing her eyes.

"Ready…Lee-kun?"... She whispered as she bent in all the way. She felt the feeling of skin after a moment but it seemed to be something else besides his lips. It seemed…rough. Not soft like she had imagined. She opened her eyes to see that Lee had put his finger to her lips, his eyes covered by his bangs.

"I'm…sorry, Sakura-chan…" Lee spoke softly not lifting his head "I…do not wish for you to kiss me."

Silence filled the entire room as everyone now locked eyes on the two, shocked and afraid that they might miss out on something if they blinked. Sakura could feel a sharp pain in her chest that caused her to cringe with confusion. Lee was rejecting, _her?_ Why was this happening? Sakura watched as Lee stood up, ignoring everyone's stares and feeling heavy as he walked to the door. No one dared to try and stop him, not even Neji.

"Oyasumi nasai" he said softly, going out the door, not turning back. She stood up, but all Sakura could do was watch, hurting as he closed the door behind himself.

* * *

Wow, did hell freeze over or what? What's going on in Lee's mind? How'll this effect Sakura?

Find out next time!

The story is going by rather slowly. I swear I need to be less detailed with the chapters, eh?

**Japanese Dictionary**

**Oyasumi nasai- Good Night**

**Hai- Yes.**


	7. Resentment

**Resentment**

-HUGS AND THANKS TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED AND FAVED!-

Oh and fwiend, I'll pm you back with where I found those words at, k?

-Stopping point last time-

"Oyasumi nasai" he said softly, going out the door, not turning back. She stood up, but all Sakura could do was watch, hurting as he closed the door behind himself.

ON WITH IT!!!

* * *

"I'm…sorry, Sakura-chan…" Lee spoke softly not lifting his head "I…do not wish for you to kiss me."

"_I…do not wish for you to kiss me..."_

…_do not wish for you to kiss me..."_

…_kiss me..."_

Sakura couldn't help but burrow her head into the cushion of Ten-Ten's couch, replaying this moment over and over again in her mind. It was like a bad dream. Only she knew she was awake. After Lee had left, Ten-Ten and Ino thought it would be best that they call it a night. Things were too awkward as it was and continuing the game would only make things worse. Ten-Ten was standing at the door thanking everyone who came while Ino was helping Hinata clean up some of the mess. Neji purposely made sure that he was the last to leave so he could relay something to her.

"Ten-Ten chan" spoke Neji quietly. "What happened with our teammate Lee-kun tonight was very strange" , "I'm going to see if I can find out anything and relay what I find to you."

"You're real worried about Lee-kun, aren't you?" she murmured.

"Hai" Neji said with a nod. "Though I won't admit it to him anytime soon, he's like the brother I never had.", "A younger, annoying brother."

Ten-Ten couldn't help but smile…ever since that day Neji fought against Naruto during the Chunin exam, his heart had grown softer, which made her adore him even more. She bowed. "That's very sweet of you to say, Neji-kun"

Neji blinked and blushed slightly. He still wasn't used to such compliments even now. "It's nothing" he said coolly keeping his composure.

"You're just being modest.", Tenten replied. "But anyways, I better tend to Sakura-chan...she needs me"

Neji nodded and turned, walking out onto the steps. Ten-Ten stayed in the doorway watching him leave as something she must do, struck her.

"Oh and Neji-kun…?" Ten-Ten said quietly.

"Hmm?" he turned around. "What is it?"

She ran up to where he was, leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm counting on you" she said with a smile as she turned and scampered back inside, closing the door.

Neji just stood there, pink cheeked. It was one of the first real kisses he had ever received and he wasn't real sure what to think of it. True affection was yet another thing listed that he wasn't used to. _"I could probably get used to that..."_ he said to himself as he disappeared in a flash.

-Meanwhile-

Lee was busy hammering away on his favorite training post, not paying attention to the time or anything else for that matter.

"If I cannot do 3,000 kicks then it is 4,000 punches!" he proclaimed to himself.

This felt good to him; this is what he had wanted to do in the first place. The scene he had caused at Ten-Ten's he tried to forget by keeping himself focused but the image of Sakura kept pushing its way into his mind. His kicks became harder at this, eyes becoming blurry with tears, the abuse on the wood becoming more and more apparent. Neji was watching him a good distance back so Lee couldn't sense his presence.

"2,696, 2, 697, 2,698, 2,699, 2,7- he yelled as this last kick got caught his foot caught up in the stump and he fell to his butt. He stood up, looking down, shadowing his face. His fists were clenched and he was shaking all over, not from the cold, but from anger. He had to do something to release these pent up emotions. Neji was about to go and comfort him when-

"HYAAAH!!!" cried Lee as his fist, in a blaze of fury hit the stump-like post, splitting then shattering it into little wood pieces.

Neji stopped in slight fear at this. He remembers when Lee first learned the hidden Lotus and how it had split the huge trunk in two. Here, he was able to merely hit it with his fist not only splitting it, but shattering it as well!

Lee was breathing hard and winced a bit, he had broken a knuckle or two on that one, spraining his hand. He didn't care though; anything to get her out of his mind was fine with him for now. He felt numb all over and this didn't seem to be working. So he did the only thing he knew to do when training didn't help.

He sat down beside the shattered stump, curled his knees to his chest, laying his face in his knees and cried.

Neji thought that this was his chance but he stopped at the sound of another's voice.

"Is that my esteemed pupil over there crying?"

Lee looked up, tears still flowing down his face, "Gai-sensei…" Lee murmured softly as his teacher appeared in a flash. He wasn't wearing the well-knowing goofy smile and pose that he was known for but a look of concern.

"Lee…What's wrong? This isn't a good way to be spending your youthfulness..." said Gai as he bent to his knee.

Lee couldn't even look at his sensei right now. He sighs and plasters on a smile giving a thumbs up, "I'm fine Gai-sensei, see?"

Gai isn't convinced. He looks at the shattered stump and knit his eyebrows. He knew that Lee at this time could only have broken that stump if he was hitting it while in a blind rage. "Lee", said Gai as he put a hand on his shoulder. "It's about Sakura, isn't it?"

Lee blinks, damn his sensei for knowing him so well!

"H-hai" stuttered Lee as he looked down in sadness.

Gai moved his pupils chin up so they were eye to eye. "Lee, I know this is hard on you, I've been there..."

"R-really?" he murmured looking at his sensei with a difference.

"Yes," Gai nodded and gave a nice guy pose, "Don't worry about it Lee, you're kind, honorable, and you've got good looks too."

"Sakura will soon realize this, I can guarantee it!" he beamed.

Lee smiles at this.

"And if there's one thing I've learned from all years of experience with this" Gai continued, "is that you have people you can always fall back on in your time of need."

"Isn't that right, Neji?", said Gai looking in the direction that Neji was perched.

"Huh, Neji?" Lee blinked in surprise.

"_Damn_!_"_, Neji thought, _"Well, he isn't a Jonin for nothing" _as he disappeared in a flash and appeared in front of the two.

Lee blinked even more. Had Neji been there this _whole time_ he wondered.

As if right on cue Neji spoke as if reading his mind. "I watched the while thing, Lee" he said. "I came looking for you after I left Ten-Ten's." "The party ended after your little spectacle."

"I could not help it!" Lee shot out in defense. "I did not want to go in the first place!"

"You left because of one little kiss you were about to receive". Neji said coolly.

"It was not a kiss that Sakura-chan was willing to do because she liked me!" Lee cried. "It was a dare and I was not about to waste my first kiss on a DARE!"

"I hope it makes you feel better to know that Sakura-chan was crying miserably on Ten-Ten's couch before I left" Neji snapped back.

Gai was looking back and forth between Neji and Lee, listening to all they had to say.

Lee shot to his feet his eyes red with rage. "Right now I could fucking care less!" he bellowed, then turned to Gai-sensei, "is this your idea of someone I can fall back onto??", "I'd rather fall back into a pit of spikes then rely on him!!" And with that, Lee turned on his heels and jumped up into the trees, just wanting to get away from everybody, tears falling behind him.

Gai's eyes followed him until he was no longer in sight, and then stood up.

"I suggest you stay away from him for the time being, Neji" said Gai giving him a stern glare. "You going off on him like that was not what he needed right now."

Neji sighed. "Hai, Gai-sensei" …_I used to be the cruel one. Why did I go off on him like that…? _

"Tell me, Neji" Gai said. "What about this, dare…Lee spoke of?"

Neji cringed. He didn't want to have to tell his teacher about the game they were playing.

"Well?" said Gai in a harsher, interested tone.

"Well, you see…" Neji started.

Where did Lee go? What of Sakura? Find out next time!

* * *

Lol! Pretty long like the others and I tried to update quickly enough for you all! BD

**Japanese Dictionary**

**Hai- Yes.**


	8. Authors Note

:3 :3 :3 :3 :3

I decided to change the name of the story since it didn't quite fit with what's going on. The new one doesn't fit either but its better I think.

That is all! I'll try to update often!

-hugs and chocolates for all-


	9. Feeling Better

Feeling Better

hugs to all who've read my story thus far!

* * *

I will admit, I'm not too good at writing stories so if words are used wrong or of there is any grammatical errors, I thank you for pointing them out to me so I can fix them.!

-Stopping Point Last Time-

Neji cringed. He didn't want to have to tell his teacher about the game they were playing.

"Well?" said Gai in a harsher, interested tone.

"Well, you see…" Neji started.

MOVING ONWARD!!!

* * *

Faster it seemed that Lee was going as the trees and surrounding area were nothing but blurs. _"I've got to get away and clear my head for a while!" _He thought to himself as the surrounding area became a clearing. He jumped and soared down to the ground with a _"thud"_ and walked up to a stony edged stream, near a lake. He was winded slightly as he kneeled down cupping his hands and dipped them into the cool, clear stream. He swallowed the water eagerly and dipped his hands for another take.

Normally, a run like that would have been nothing for him but tonight he felt weak and wounded. He took a seat near the edge of the stream able to feel the mist of the nearby waterfall and peered into the water, staring at his reflection.

_-Meanwhile-_

"Why?" she said to herself as she buried her face once more into Ino's couch pillow, sobbing.

The three couldn't help but stare in concern at their friend all wondering what to say. All then eyed one another looking for the answer. Finally, Ino being the brave one spoke first:

"Aw, c'mon Sakura, cheer up! The night is young and now it's just us girls. Let's go do something!" she said with a sort of spark to her eyes.

"Ino's right, Sakura", said Tenten with a concerned smile. "Maybe if we get out of the house, it'll help clear your mind".

Sakura looked up to the concerned faces of her three close friends. She knew they were right. Crying wouldn't bring Lee back. She sat up and cocked her head to the side and gave a small smile. She could always depend on these three no matter what the situation. These past few years had been tough on her, but thinking about it now, it's probably been rough for her friends too.

"You guys are the best" Sakura said with a smile.

"Hey, that's what we're here for!!" all of them chimed together, giggling.

Laughter filled the room and Sakura felt a new sense of relief. As the girls chatted excitedly about where they were going for the evening something still troubled her but she could not put two-and-two together. As she was contemplating this mystery it was decided that they first go to their favorite spot to go skinny-dipping. The night was clear, warm and with a full moon in the sky.

* * *

Sorry that the chapter is so short. I guarantee the next one won't be and the mission starts after!!

Lol, are you guiz thinking what I'm thinking? ;) Stay tuned.


End file.
